Electric mail-box.



P. 0. GAUDREAU. ELECTRIC MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1913.

1,095,845. Patented May 5, 1914.

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P. o. GAUDRBAU.

ELECTRIC MAIL BOX.`

APPLICATION FILED MAY19,1913. 1 ,095,845. Patented May 5, 1914.

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COLUIAIIA PLANOGIAPM Co..wAsmNa1oN. D. C.

P.0.GAUDREAU. ELECTRIC MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1913.

1,095,845. y I Patentedmay, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

P. 0. GAUDREAU.

ELECTRIC MAIL BOX.

APPLIGAToN FILED MAY 19, 1913.

1,095,845. Patented May 5, 1914.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

I VII/III COLUMBIA PLNouRAPH Co..wAsHlNuToN. D. c.

P. O. GAUDREAU.

ELECTRIC MAIL Boi APPLIATION FILED MAY 19, 1913.

1,095,845 Patented May 5, 1914.

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P. 0. GAUDREAU.

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1,095,845, Patented May 5, 1914.

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III

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER O. GAUDREAU, 0F BURLINGTON, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 FRED L. SMITH, OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

ELECTRIC MAIL-BOX.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, PETER O. GAUDREAU, citizen of the United States, residing at Burlington, in the county of Chittenden and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elect-ric Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a mail box and the principal object of the invention is to provide a mail box having an attachment for ringing a bell whenever letters or packages are put in the box.

Another object of the invention is to provide the box with an improved operating means with which an electric bell and a clock-work bell may be simultaneously operated.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the operating mechanism that the bell may be caused to ring for a comparatively short length of time, thus permitting a package to be suspended from the operating rod without the bell continuously ringing Another object of the invention is to so construct the device that the operating rod may move to an operative posit-ion from a number of different points.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved means for moving the operating rod so that when the door for the letters is opened the bell will ring.

Another object of the invention is to so construct this last mentioned operating device that the bell will not ring when the door is closing.

lVith these and other objects in view this invention consists of certain novel combinations, constructions, and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a perspective view of the mail box. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the mail box. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the mail box. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the mail box. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through the mail box. Fig. 6 is a view of the rear portion of the mail box, the letter receptacle having been removed. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the manner inv Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led May 19, 1913.

Patented May 5, 1914.

Serial No. 768,585.

which the operating rod is brought into operative position when the door of the letter receptacle is raised. Fig. 8 is a view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 7 and shows the position assumed by this mechanism when the door of the letter box is closing. Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the pivoted plate and its support shown in Fig. 7 Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the pivoted plate. Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the rear portion of the mail box showing a second means for moving the operating rod. Fig. 12 is a transverse sectional view through the mechanism shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the electric contact which is operated by the operating rod. Fig. 14 is a diagram of the electric circuit which operates the electric bell. Fig. 15 is an interior view of the clock-work bell. Fig. 16 is a sectional view through the mechanism shown in Fig. 15 to show the manner in which the clock-work bell is released.

This invention comprises a back-board 20 to which the letter box is secured and to which the electric bells and battery are secured as in the drawings. It is, of course, obvious that in use the electric bell could be put at any other convenient place and that the back-board need not be supported by the rod 21 and standard 22 but will preferably form a portion of the door to which the mail box is secured. The electric bell 23 is secured to the back-board 20 and is connected with the battery 24 by means of wires 25. These wires 25 lead to a contact 26 and are also connected with a switch 27 by means of which the electric bell may be prevented from ringing when desired. A button 28 is secured to a support 29 and is connected with the wires 25 so that the bell 23 may be rung by means of this button when the switch is open. The clock-work bell 30 is secured to the back-board by means of screws passing through the opening 31 and is provided with a stem 32 which passes through an opening formed in the backboard. This stem has its inner end connected with a head 33 normally held in the position shown in Fig. 16 by means ot' the spring 34 so that the hammer arm 35 will be prevented from moving. When the stem 32 s moved by mechanism to be hereinafter described it will move the head 33 against the tension of the spring 34 thus moving the head out of the way and permitting the hammer arm to be operated by the clockwork mechanism. This clock-work mechanism is not described in detail since it is of theJ usual construction providing any bells of this type.

The mail box comprises the rear portion forming a support for the letter receptacle and also forming a. housing for the mechanism for operating the bells. This rear portion comprises the supporting' plate 3G which is secured to the back-board 2O by means of the screws 37 and threaded stem 3S of the support 39 for the wheel 40. A base plate 4l is secured to the lower flange 42 of the supporting plate 3G and the side flanges 43 extend from the supporting plate and have their edge portions bent to form the tongues 44 which tongues engage the tongues formed upon the letter receptacle to be hereinafter described, thus releasably connecting the letter receptacle with the rear portion of the mail box.

An operating rod 45 extends vertically through the rear portion of theA mail box and is guided by means of the housings 4G and 47 which are secured to the supporting plate 36. The housing 46 is provided with the slots 48 by means of which the operating rod may be moved toward the supporting plate 3G so that its upper end may move the contactplates to ring the electric bell and push the stem 32 to release the clock-work bell. A spring 49 is coiled about the operating rod and has one end connected with the rod and the upper end connected with the support 39, thus yieldably holding the rod in a raised position. This rod is crimped to form the cam 50 and guide 5l and has its lower end portion extending through t-he base plate and bent to form a hook 52 which limits the upward movement of the operating rod and alfords means whereby a package may be suspended from the operating rod. The guide 5l travels through the housing` 47 and prevents the rod from turning and thus prevents the cam 50 from turning to a portion where it would not engage the electric contactmembers. The cont-act strips 53 and 54 are secured to the insulated base 55 and are so positioned that the strip 54 extends across the head 56 of the stem 32. A spring 57 is coiled about the stein 32 between the plate 3G and head 56 and assists in holding the stein 32 in the position shown in Fig. 1G so that the clockwork bell cannot ring. lVhen the operating rod is drawn downwardly the cam 50 engages the strip 54 and brings the strip into engagement with the strip 53, thus forming the circuit and ringing the electric bell. At the same time the cam causes the stem 32 to be moved against the tension et the springs 34 and 57, thus releasing the clock-work mechanism and permitting the clock-work bell to ring.

A newspaper holding trame 58 is pivoted to the side oit the base plate 4l and is preferably iormed from wire strands as shown in Fig. 3 and provided with a handle 59 by means et which the newspaper clamp may be easily moved away from the mail box. This newspaper clamp is provided with a rod (30 pivotally connected as shown in Fig. G and extending through one of the side flanges 43 with its inner end portion extending through the housing 4G. rlhe port-ion of the rod GO which extends through the housing 46 is crimped to term the cam (il which cam engages the operating rod when moved to the position shown in Fig. 12, thus moving the operating rod toward the rear plate 36 and bringing the contact strips 55 and 54 into engagement. A leaf spring (52 is secured to the flange 48 through which the rod G0 passes and is provided with a slot 63 through which the rod 60 passes. This slot terms tongues G4 engaging a pin (35 carried by the rod GO so that the rod will be normally held in the position shown in F G.

The letter receptacle which is removably connected with the rear portion of the mail box comprises'the inner and outer walls GG and G7 which are connected by the side walls (3S and by the bottom 69 provided with openings for the purpose ot drainage. Strips 7l are secured to the side walls and have their edge portions bent to form tongues 72 which tongues engage the tongues 44 ot' the flanges 43. The front wall carries the lower door 73 and the upper door 74 through which letters are placed in the mail box. An arm 75 extends from the door 74 into the letter receptacle and forms a support. for the stem 7G of the pivot plate 77. A spring 7S has one end connected with the upper edge portion of the front wall and its inner end with the plate 7 9 mounted upon the stem 7G so that the door will be normally held in the closed position shown in Fig. 4 with the plate 77 extending upwardly. A trip plate 80 is pivotally connected with the pivot plate by means ot pin passing through the ears 8l extending from the arms 82 and is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 7 by means ol the weightl 83 secured to one of the arms 82 by means of the wire 84. The pivotal movement of this trip plate is limited in one direction by the hinge plate 77 and in the opposite direction by the abutment 85. This trip plate extends through a slot 8G and engages the operating rod 45 to move the rod to the position shown in Fig. 7 thus ringing the bells. XV hen the door 75 is released the spring 78 returns the door to the position shown in Fig. 4 and from an inspection of 8 it will be seen that upon the up-stroke the trip plate moves upon its pivot pin, thus permitting the door to close without the bell ringing. After the letter receptacle has been put in place and the operating mechanism adjusted to operate properly the cover 87 is put in place and covers the letter receptacle and housing in which the operating mechanism is positioned. This cover is provided with side and front pockets 88 and 89 in which the flanges 90 of the letter receptacle fit to hold the cover in place.

When assembling this device the operating mechanism is rst put in place within the housing of the rear portion and the rear portion of the mail box is then connected with the door. The clock-work bell is connected with the inner face of the door with its releasing stem 32 extending through the door as shown in Fig. 1 and the elect-ric bell is then mounted in any convenient place. This electric bell may be mounted upon the door or may be put at any place in the room or if desired in another room so that a person who vis not in the room where the clock-work bell is located may hear the electric bell. After the rear portion is in place the letter receptacle is connected with the rear portion and the cover is then put in place to cover the letter receptacle and housing.

Vhen the mail-man brings letters to the house he puts the letters in the receptacle and in doing so he opens the door 74, thus causing the trip plate to move downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 7, thus causing the bell to ring. The trip plate will only be in engagement with the operating lever when the door is about half way open as shown in Fig. 7 and, therefore, it will be readily seen that when the door is fully open the bell will not ring since the trip plate will be out of engagement with the operating lever. Vhen the mail-man releases the door 74 the spring 78 will cause it to close, but when the trip plate is brought in engagement with the operating rod upon its upward movement the plate will move upon the pivot pin as shown in Fig. 8, thus preventing the rod from moving to ring the bell. If the mail-man has papers he takes hold of the handle 59 and pulls the clamp 58 away from the box so that the papers can be put between the clamp and the box. As the clamp is drawn away from the box the cam 61 of the rod 60 will cause the rod 45 to be moved toward the supporting plate 3G and thus brought into engagement with the contact strip 54. The bell will only ring while the cam 61 is in engagement with the contact 54 and, therefore, when the clamp is open to its full extent the bell will cease to ring. If the mail-carrier brings heavy packages he hangs these packages upon the hook 52, thus drawing the rod 45 downwardly to bring the cam 50 into engagement with the contact plate 54. As soon as the cam 50 has passed the contact plate the bell will cease to ring. A mail box has thus been provided in which the signal bell will be caused to ring only for a short time while opening and closing the door or while connecting a package with the hook 52 or while putting the papers between the box and clamp 5S. If it is not desired to have the electric bell ring excepting when the button 28 is pushed the switch 27 can be opened, thus breaking the electric circuit between the battery and contact 26.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is:

1. A mail box comprising a receptacle, a contact in said receptacle, an operating rod in said receptacle, a door for said receptacle, an arm extending from said door into said receptacle, and a trip plate pivotally connected with said arm and moving said operating rod into engagement with said contact for a port-ion of the time while said door is being opened, the trip plate moving upon its pivots to permit the door to be closed without said operating rod being brought into engagement with said contact.

2. A mail box comprising a receptacle, a contact in said receptacle, an operat-ing rod slidably mounted in said receptacle and crimped to form a cam, resilient means normally holding said rod in its normal position, the lower end portion of said rod extending through the bottom of said receptacle and being formed into a hook whereby said rod may be drawn downwardly to bring said cam into engagement with said contact.

3. A mail box comprising a receptacle, a contact in said receptacle, an operating rod mounted in said receptacle, a door for said receptacle, an arm extending from said door into said receptacle, a spring connected with said receptacle and with said arm to yieldably hold said arm in a normal position, a trip plate pivotally connected with said arm for operating said operating rod, an abutment limiting the pivotal movement of said trip plate in one direction, and a weight holding said trip plate in a normal position.

4. A mail box comprising a receptacle, a contact in said receptacle, an operating rod in said receptacle, a clamp carried by said receptacle, a rod carried by said clamp and extending into said receptacle and crimped to form a cam whereby said operating rod may be brought into engagement with said contact, and resilient means normally holding the cam portion of said last mentioned rod out of engagement with said operating rod.

5. A mail box comprising a receptacle, a contact in said receptacle, a housing in said receptacle, an operating rod extending through said receptacle and through said housing, the upper portion of said operating gage the bottom of said receptacle to limit 10 rod being crimped to form a Cam and the the upward movement of sind operating rod.

lower portion being crimped to form u guide In testimony whereof I hereunto arHiX my shdably mounted 1n said housing to prevent signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

1otfttion of sftic rod 1 snino eno' oinfr sii l l f 1 c ba@ c L d PETER o. GAUDREAU.

rod to yieldztbly hold the same in a normal position, and the outer end port-ion of said Vitnesses:

operating rod being bent to form L hook JOHN J. ENRIGHT, having an arm eXtendlng therefrom to en- FRED L. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

